The revenge
by redhead.witch
Summary: Four years after the tragedy in Sotoba, Kaori Tanaka was running pretty calm life... until one person didn't show himself in her house. Natsuno/Kaori.
1. Chapter 1

Water was so nice. When it was running over your body it felt as though it could clean away everything.

Too bad it wasn't true.

Water could clean away the dirt from a normal day.

But it couldn't clean away memories.

Kaori knew all about that. Standing under the shower in her small apartment she closed her eyes, leaning on the wall behind her and allowing the water to flow across her face and down her body. She knew that she should try to move on, to not think about her past, but… it was just too much.

She silently counted how many years had passed since the tragedy had occurred in Sotoba, the small town where she used to live.

Where she had lost her parents and friends.

Where she had been made to kill her own father.

She could still feel his blood on her face where several drops had landed. She had hammered a stake into his head after all, there had been blood everywhere. No matter how many times she bathed and soaked she still didn't feel clean.

She tried to talk to herself about it. Telling herself that it hadn't been her real father there, only his body – taken over a bloodthirsty monster – that had killed her mother. A monster that would have killed her if she hadn't stopped him. But still…

She shook her head. She knew she had to stay strong.

She wasn't a naïve fifteen year old girl anymore. Now nineteen, after going through the battle against the vampires she knew that the world wasn't as safe a place as she had once believed it to be.

Kaori sighed, straightening up and turning the water off. Akira would be back from school soon and she knew she couldn't show him such a sad face.

She stepped out from the shower and wrapped herself in the towel which had been hanging next to it. Turning she looked at herself in the mirror.

Brown eyes blinked back at her, just like when she had been fifteen. But now they lacked the spark that had been forever present in her eyes. When she was younger they had been full of humour, kindness and life. Now they were mostly sad and guarded, hiding the terrible truth in their depths. Kaori had changed through those four years. She had cut her hair so that it hung just below her shoulders, though it was shorter at the front. She no longer clipped her fringe back, instead allowing it to cover her forehead. Her face was more mature than it had been, although much to her annoyance she had barely grown. Her height had changed by a mere inch at the most. Akira was a different case. He was now taller than her by nearly a head.

She glanced at her watch and quickly got dressed. There wasn't much time left until her brother was due back home.

After leaving the bathroom she went to the kitchen, grabbing the letter from the table. She opened it and started reading.

'_Kaori and Akira_

_I hope that my letter has found you in good health as always. Recently I heard some news about strange occurrences in a village in Korea, so I have travelled there in the hopes that I can find some clues there as to how to find Seishin. I'm sending you the address and phone number of the hotel where I'm staying. Contact me any time you need to, it doesn't matter what the time is._

_I will contact you when I get back to Japan._

_Congratulations on getting into the team Akira._

_T. Ozaki'_

Kaori put the letter down and glanced out the window. Toshio Ozaki still couldn't get over the fact that his best friend had willingly decided to join the Shiki. Every single time he heard about strange occurrences he would head there to check it out. Twice already he had found signs of vampires, but fortunately there hadn't been anything as big as the incident in Sotoba. He had been reluctant to share his information with Kaori, but the girl was stubborn and he had eventually relented.

Ozaki was the only person that the siblings were in contact with from Sotoba. The others who had survived had gone into hiding after changing their names, and a few of them, from what Kaori had heard from the doctor, had committed suicide so they wouldn't have to be burdened with their memories. Truthfully Kaori had also contemplated ending her life, but she couldn't leave Akira alone. He needed her just as much as she needed him, and as an older sister it was her job to protect him.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door opening.

"I'm home!" The voice of her brother echoed throughout the small apartment, accompanied by the sound of his bag hitting the floor.

"How was your day?" Kaori asked as her brother entered the kitchen, sinking down in the chair opposite her own.

"Good, although nothing really happened." He shrugged his shoulders, glancing at the paper on the table. "Is it from Ozaki-senpai?" He asked curiously, looking at his sister and snatching the letter once she nodded. "Korea?" He asked incredulously after a moment. "That's pretty far away. It's the first time he's travelled such a long distance." He stated.

"It's important to him to check everywhere, regardless of the distance." Kaori answered, standing up. "Hungry?"

"Hai!"

Kaori smiled slightly and moved over to the cupboard to grab some ingredients for dinner. She threw a quick glance at her brother who was rereading the short letter. She knew that he wanted to accompany Ozaki in his travels, but she had been glad that the older man had been against it. If something happened to Akira… she shook her head to get rid of such morbid thoughts.

"Something wrong?" Akira asked, seeing her move.

"No, I was just thinking about something." She replied, starting to make dinner for them.

It wasn't long until they were sitting together at the table, eating.

"Nee-chan…" Akira started hesitantly in the middle of dinner, pausing for a moment. Kaori looked up at him, waiting for him to continue. "I thought I saw someone when I was coming home."

He watched her, unsure whether he should continue or not.

"Who was it?" Kaori asked, feeling her muscles tighten slightly but making sure not to show any of her agitation on her face. Surely it wasn't… No, it couldn't be. She had been checking the news constantly, there weren't any strange disappearances happening in their area.

"I think it was… nii-san." Akira added the last part quietly, watching his sister closely.

Kaori frowned. There was only one person who Akira addressed as 'Nii-san' that would earn such a reaction from him.

Natsuno Yuuki.

The very person who had helped them to survive the massacre in Sotoba. The only person Kaori knew to have retained his human thoughts and state of mind after becoming a shiki. The only person whom she would have secretly been glad if he had survived.

But that wasn't possible.

More importantly, if he was alive and here then… some of the remaining shiki could also… No! She couldn't allow herself to think about that. There was no evidence to prove that it had really been Natsuno.

Akira was watching his sister with worried eyes. He knew very well that Kaori wouldn't take the news well, but he had still thought that it had been something important that he needed to tell her.

"Nee-chan?" He asked as the silence began to stretch on.

Kaori snapped out of her thoughts.

"Don't be silly Akira." She said, adding a quiet laugh that even sounded fake to her own ears. "There is no way that Yuuki-san could be here. It was just someone who looked similar to him."

Akira watched her for a moment before nodding his head.

"Yeah, you're probably right."

The rest of the meal passed by in silence, both of the siblings lost in their own thoughts.

=S H I K I=

_She was alone. Everything around her was quiet; the only sound to be heard was the wind blowing through the leaves. Kaori shivered. Even knowing that she was alone she still felt as if someone was watching her. Watching from behind, waiting for her to do something, for her to move._

'_Kaori…'_

_Something whispered behind her, making her shiver in fear._

'_You know you deserved it…'_

_Now something was behind her, almost touching her back._

'_But don't worry my dear, now it's your turn.'_

_Megumi appeared in front of her before she even had a chance to scream or attempt to run._

_Red eyes._

_Sharp fangs._

Kaori shot up in her bed, sweating after her nightmare. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. It wasn't the first time she had had a dream like that, although it had been a long time since they had felt so… real. She looked out over the city through her window. Deciding that some fresh air would do her some good she climbed to her feet and walked over to the small balcony jutting out from her bedroom. The spring night was warm, so she didn't bother putting anything else on over top of her pyjamas.

Stepping out into the fresh air she glanced at the protective charms she had placed near the doors and leant on the railing, taking another deep breath. She closed her eyes, beginning to calm down after the unwanted nightmare. Slowly she relaxed. It was only a dream. A bad dream, but nothing more.

She nearly had a heart attack when a hand covered her mouth.

Her eyes snapped open, fear overwhelming her. She was living on the ninth floor, so how could anyone attack her there on her balcony?

She felt her attacker's face coming closer to her ear and then something hit her.

If someone was that close to her she should be able to hear them breathing, but she couldn't sense a thing…

Fighting back tears she struggled against their grip, but her attacker grabbed her around the shoulders from behind, trapping her.

"Kaori, calm down." The attacker whispered to her and her eyes widened in shock.

She knew that voice…

"I'm not going to hurt you, do you understand?" He waited for her to nod. When she did he continued. "I'm going to let go of your mouth, but you have to promise not to scream, ok?"

She nodded again, too shocked and terrified to oppose him. When she was released she turned around to look straight into their red eyes.

"Y-Yuuki-san…" She whispered.

Natsuno nodded, watched her quietly, waiting for her to get used to his presence.

"Akira was right…" Kaori whispered before her vision began to fade, leaving her trapped in the blackness.

* * *

_edited: Dark Akuma Hunter_


	2. Chapter 2

=S H I K I=

Natsuno looked at the unconscious girl who was lying on the bed. He had carried her inside after she had blacked out, deciding that it would be hard to explain if any of the neighbours were to come outside and see them.

She had changed since he had last seen her four years ago.

And he liked the changes. A lot.

He almost hadn't recognised her when he had seen her last week in a small café where she worked after school. He had watched as she smiled at the customers as she took their orders. The smile didn't reach her eyes though, and it troubled him a bit. It didn't surprise him though.

In her place he would a complete wreck of a person.

Instead he was a living corpse.

In the end he wasn't sure which was better.

Natsuno knew that Akira had seen him earlier. It hadn't been a part of his plans, and if someone hadn't bumped into him then he would have still been in hiding.

Well, until now that is.

He had been watching the siblings for two weeks now, ever since he had lost sight of Tatsumi. When he had found out that the dynamite hadn't killed them he had attempted to stop the blue haired werewolf from leaving Sotoba, but the idiot was still too strong for him.

And it pissed him off.

Not that he would admit it to anyone.

When Kaori stirred, slowly regaining her senses, he turned his attention to her again, waiting for her to wake up completely.

Kaori woke up slowly, blinking several times until her vision cleared and her eyes adjusted to the darkness in her bedroom.

'_What a strange dream…'_ She thought, sitting up on her bed. _'I thought that…'_

Then her eyes landed on the dark shadow in her room. Her heart skipped a beat in fear before she remembered who it was.

"Yuuki-san. So it wasn't a dream after all…" She whispered to herself, looking up at him when he came closer to the bed.

He had changed. Not so much that she couldn't recognise him, but he had changed nonetheless. Still as tall as he always had been his face seemed to have gained maturity and wisdom. Kaori figured that death could do that to a person.

Suddenly she stiffened. She had to remind herself that he wasn't human. Still, when she looked at him she was filled with the same sense of security that she had felt in Sotoba when they had fought together against the shiki.

But could she really trust him now?

It was true that he hadn't done anything to her after taking her away from her house and the dead body of the monster that her father had become, but did that mean that she could trust him now? After all, it had been years since then, and people changed.

Natsuno could see the slight change in her attitude, the sudden stiffness of her shoulders and her slightly narrowed eyes. He sighed inwardly, knowing that it wasn't going to be easy.

Then he made what could have been a fatal mistake.

He really shouldn't have moved closer to her without warning.

Before he knew it there was a wooden stake pressed against his chest over his heart.

Kaori looked at him with her dark eyes, eyes that were filled with determination. Her brother was sleeping peacefully in the next room and she knew that she was going to protect him no matter what it took.

"Don't move or I'll hammer it in." She warned, her voice shaking slightly.

"You sleep with this?" Natsuno asked incredulously, holding his hands up in submission for her to see.

In order to protect her he would have to gain her trust once more.

Kaori could feel her cheeks heat up, tinting her face red.

"I-I… prefer to have it near me… just in case." She explained, holding the stake against his chest, hammer ready in her other hand.

Natsuno shook his head. The idea of the girl sleeping with a stake and hammer was just, well, strange. Still, it wasn't all that surprising, knowing what she had gone through in the past. What they had all gone through.

Even if she didn't look it, she was strong.

The pressure on his chest pulled him out of his thoughts.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, her voice calm and stable this time.

"If you put that down then I'll tell you everything." He said, pointing at the stake with one finger.

His only answer was an increase in pressure.

He sighed out loud this time.

"Look, if I wanted to kill you I have had plenty of opportunities over the last two weeks…"

Uh oh.

Her eyes widened before narrowing dangerously, tightening her hold on the hammer.

"You… were stalking me?" She asked nervously.

Natsuno was surprised that she hadn't noticed.

"It was only to see if you were alright." He answered quickly, looking straight into her eyes. "Kaori, please. I know you don't like the idea of me following you, but it should at least prove to you that I've had more than enough chances to kill you and Akira if that was what I came here intending to do. There are more important things to be afraid of right now."

"What do you mean?" She asked, still in the same position.

Stubborn woman.

"Remember Tatsumi, the guy with blue hair?" He asked, continuing when she nodded. "He is still alive. So are Sunako Kirishiki and Seishin Muroi. But I think you already know that." The look in her eyes showed him that he was right. "Now to something that you probably don't know. From the people who managed to escape Sotoba several of them were found dead recently. What do you think was the cause of their deaths?" He questioned, still gazing straight into her eyes.

Kaori's face paled.

No… Please no.

No, it couldn't be true. Surely there was some other reason…

"They were declared to have strange cases of anaemia caused by an insect bite." He answered for her, making her worst nightmare come to life. Again. "It looks like Kirishiki and Muroi are taking their revenge on the hunters."

Natsuno watched as her face continued to pale and he felt guilty as he wondered if she would faint again. Thankfully she managed to stay conscious.

"How do you know about it?" She asked, her voice shaking again.

"I have my ways." He shrugged, not really wanting to tell her everything. The less she knew the safer she would be.

He had forgotten about the stake and hammer, but he was quickly reminded of them.

"I have a… friend. He found out about it and informed me." He said, hoping that it was enough. "I came here to inform you about it. You and Akira should leave this town for the time being."

"Why?" She asked, even though she had a feeling she already knew the answer. Still, she needed to hear it.

"Because they found the two of you."

Kaori felt the oxygen leave her lungs as fear sank in. She closed her eyes, her grip on the stake and hammer loosening. Natsuno took it as a good sign, she was starting to trust him. He watched as the hand holding the wooden stake slowly moved away from his chest before she rested it on her knees. He decided to give her a moment to let it sink in.

She hoped that she would wake up soon. It was all too much for her. She still hadn't gotten over what had happened four years ago and now it was starting all over again. Damn it! She had been doing everything she could to keep herself and Akira safe, checking the news constantly for news of sudden disappearances. She had almost been convinced that it was finally over.

But she was wrong.

She hadn't even been able to tell that someone had been following her for a whole two weeks. How the hell did she expect to protect her brother?

"Kaori." When she heard his voice she looked up at him, eyes glazed over slightly. "You have to remain strong for now, stay strong for Akira. I'm going to help you remain safe. They haven't made it here yet, which means that something has stopped them. We have to get you away from here as soon as possible. I know a place where we can go. Is there anyone you want to tell first?" He asked, unsure of whether the siblings had any family in the area.

Kaori began to shake her head before an idea hit her.

"Ozaki-sensei." She said suddenly. "He's in Korea at the moment, but he needs to know about this."

Natsuno nodded his head. So the siblings had been able to stay in contact with the doctor. That was good. He liked the older man, he was sensible, or at least that's what NAtsuno thought of him. He would even be able to help them.

"Call him." He told her and she nodded. "If you don't mind I will go and inform your brother about all this."

He watched her, waiting for her reaction.

At first she seemed hesitant. So she didn't really trust him after all. He would have to fix that in the future.

Then, to his surprise, she nodded her head.

* * *

_edited: Dark Akuma Hunter_


	3. Chapter 3

Toshio Ozaki was lying down on his bed in the motel in some small village in Korea. Unfortunately for him the events which had occurred in the village hadn't been caused by vampires as he had originally suspected. The trip had been a waste of time.

He sighed.

After all this time he should be used to disappointment.

That didn't mean he wasn't hurt.

He wanted to find his best friend, even if he was a shiki now. It was his main reason for living at the current time. Being a doctor was only a way to get the money he needed for his travel.

When he found Seishin he fully intended to kill him, along with Sunako Kirishiki.

They had taken everything from him; they had taken his wife and his friends in the village. Now it was time for payback.

When the phone in his room started ringing he jumped, startled. He frowned. The only people who knew how to contact him were the Tanaka siblings, and they only called if it was about something extremely important.

He quickly stood up and picked up the phone.

"Yes?"

"Ozaki-senpai, it's Kaori." The female voice on the other end said, confirming his earlier suspicion.

"Did something happen? It's unusual for you to call me." He pointed out, waiting impatiently for an answer.

"Yes, actually… you see…" she stammered, not really sure how to tell him. "We have a guest here…" She started.

Ozaki tightened his grip on the phone, his heart thumping in his chest.

"Kaori, who is it?" He demanded, expecting the worst.

If he stopped to think about it logically then she didn't sound scared enough for it to have been Seishin or Kirishiki.

"Yuuki-san." She answered quietly, waiting for his reaction.

Ozaki's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at her answer.

"I thought he was at some art exhibition." He voiced his thoughts out loud.

"No I mean… Natsuno Yuuki, not his father." Kaori said quickly, understanding the older man's confusion.

Ozaki sat on his bed again, thinking about what he had just heard.

"I thought he was dead." He whispered, shocked.

"No, he said the explosion didn't kill him. The blue haired guy is also still alive." Kaori continued.

Ozaki listened to her as she repeated everything that Natsuno had told her about the situation regarding the shiki.

"When are you going to disappear?" He asked when the girl stopped talking.

"Yuuki-san said that we needed to leave immediately. I think we will be gone before morning, as soon as Akira and I are ready." She answered, sighing slightly.

Ozaki wasn't surprised. It had to be hard for her to go through all this again.

"Are you sure you can trust him?" He asked again.

There was a moment of silence.

"I don't know." Kaori admitted. "But he had had plenty of chances to kill us already and he hasn't. Not to mention he proved that he can be trusted back in Sotoba."

Ozaki nodded his head even though he knew she couldn't see it. The young boy had showed he wasn't on the bad side multiple times four years ago, but was it still true? After all, fouryears was a long time. There was no way to prove that Natsuno hadn't begun drinking human blood and become addicted to it. For now though, the only option was to trust him.

"Inform me of your location every time you change it." He said, standing up and walking to his closet. "I will be back in Japan as soon as possible and I'll try and find you. Do you have my cell phone number?"

"Yes, you gave it to us."

"Good. Oh and Kaori?"

"Yes?" He could hear the slight tremble in the girl's voice.

She had to be terrified.

"Be careful."

With that he finished the call.

=S H I K I=

Kaori put the phone down with a heavy sigh.

She had tried to be careful for the past four years, but apparently it hadn't been enough.

"Nee-chan!" She was pulled from her thoughts when her brother ran into the room with a startled expression on his face.

"Is it true? What nii-san said?" He looked at her with hope on his eyes, hoping that she would disagree and tell him it was a lie.

As if the presence of Natsuno Yuuki in his room wasn't enough proof.

The look in her eyes confirmed to him that every word the older boy had said was true.

"We're going to disappear?" He asked again, looking down.

"I'm sorry Akira." Kaori said, walking over to her brother and resting her hand on his shoulder. "But we can't let them get us, we have to run."

He merely nodded his head.

"I'm going to pack." He said, going back to his room and passing Natsuno on his way.

"He didn't take it too well." The werewolf stated, leaning against the wall.

"He started a new life here. He has new friends and new hobbies." Kaori explained, looking in the direction her brother had gone in. "We thought that nothing was going to get us here, so he started to get used to his new life. But now he has to leave it. I'm not surprised that it's hard on him."

Natsuno watched her for a moment with curious eyes.

"And what about you?" He asked, not taking his eyes from her.

Kaori blinked, surprised.

How did she feel about leaving their small apartment?

"I'm not as used to this as he is." She answered honestly.

"You don't have friends here?" Natsuno asked, eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Kaori had always seemed like the type of person who made friends easily.

"I think that after… Megumi… I didn't want to get too close to anyone." She replied.

Sure, as time went by she had realised that it was only a one sided friendship.

Even so, Megumi had been her friend since they had been little.

Natsuno watched for a little longer, thinking about something.

He was angry at the pink haired girl, even though he knew that she was dead.

She had done everything she could to crush the girl in front of him. Both before and after she had become a shiki. First using the brown haired girl when she needed something, and later treating her as trash.

Then, she had killed her father and told Kaori that she deserved it.

All because of a stupid jealousy.

He sighed quietly. He truly regretted that both the siblings had to go through this again.

"Get dressed and pack. We will leave soon." He said finally before leaving the room, letting the girl have some privacy.

* * *

_edited: Dark Akuma Hunter_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: I'm so so sorry for the break. Honestly, I had some kind of writers block according to this story and any idea of what to write.I hope that you will forgive me ^^_

_Anyway, thank al of you for revies and favs together with allerts. I hope that you will like this chap :D_

=S H I K I=

Kaori rested her head on the window of the blue car, looking through it on the passing view. She didn't knew that Natsuno had a driving license, not mentioning about a car. But well, he was technically now twenty, so it wasn't impossible.

And it was very helpful in their situation.

Akira was sleeping soundly on the backseat, as if he wasn't scared at all about the situation.

_'He had always had a big trust in Natsuno.' _Kaori thought, smiling slightly, looking on her brother reflection in the mirror.

She looked from the corner of her eyes on the driver. He had his eyes glued to the road, concentrating on the ride in the night. As a shiki he had better eyesight from normal people, but he still decided to be more careful than when he was driving alone. After all, having two more passengers which he had promised to keep alive, gave him some sense of protectiveness. Even if Kaori tried to put hard façade in front of her, he could see the truth in her eyes.

The fear.

The anger.

He was only glad that she didn't show any sign of giving up. She still had the strange to fight for her and her brother live. As long as her determination was on full fire, they were good.

He glanced on her and she quickly turn to the window, pretending that she hadn't watched him. The silence in the car was ringing in their ears. Natsuno reached his hand to the radio and switch it on. Soon, the cat was filled with silent music. Kaori listened to it and smiled softly to herself.

"You like this song?" Natsuno asked.

He was used to the silence, but he decided that if he was going to gain her trust completely again, he had to talk with her. After all, it would made the travel more interesting.

Kaori nodded.

"It reminds me of Sotoba from the happier days." She answered, her little smile still on her face. "We used to sit down in my room or her and listened to it all the time."

Natsuno moved his eyes from road again.

"By her, you mean…" he drifted off, but Kaori understood.

She nodded her head.

"Megumi. It was before she…changed. Before she was completely overwhelmed by her dream of big world." She explained, turning her eyes to the view behind window.

"And before she put a distance between you and her?" he added the unspoken part of her answer.

Kaori nodded her head.

"I was pretty stupid back there. I knew that she had changed and that she didn't want to know me anymore but I still tried to get close to her." She laughed quietly. "Even if I knew that she saw me as someone worse than her, someone who didn't deserve to be in her company…"

Natsuno furrowed his brows. He read somewhere that young girls, going through the puberty, would be very easily convinced that they aren't good enough to do something. It was harder to convince them that they were better than someone later, no matter how often they heard it. Human's logic was indeed very strange sometimes.

"You shouldn't believe in that." He interrupted her, earning surprised look from the girl next to him. "I've never thought that you were worse than Megumi. After knowing you better, I can even say that she was nothing like you."

Kaori blushed slightly at that, turning away again.

She wasn't used to taking compliments, especially from guy.

Natsuno meant what he had said. The difference between both girls was enormous. Where Megumi thought only about herself, Kaori cared about others more. The pink haired girl was all sweet and fluffy, but it was her friend who actually shown bravery and determination when it came to critical situation. And that was what pulled him more to Kaori than to Megumi. And also the fact that the girl wasn't pushing herself on him, like the other one had done.

"What were you doing during this time?" Kaori asked when her blush died.

Really, for nineteen years old she still could be so like little girl.

Natsuno shrugged his shoulders.

"After I woke up I had to take care of Tatsumi, but as I explained already, it didn't work and he disappeared." He started. "Then I moved around the country a little, not staying anywhere too long. From time to time I took small works to earn more money. That was when I heard for first time about the disappearances." He said, his face turning grim. "It took me some time to collect all information, but when I did, I started looking for you two."

Kaori nodded. She didn't really know why he cared some much about tem, but decided not to ask.

Whatever his reasons were, she was glad that he was with them.

Something different was bugging her.

She hesitated for a moment, before actually asking.

"And what about… your hunger?" she asked, looking on him.

Maybe to notice some change in his eyes or something what would suggest, they she and Akira weren't as safe as she thought.

_'So she still doesn't trust me.' _Natsuno thought.

"Animals. Their blood is enough to make me feel fool." He answered honestly.

He didn't see a point in lying. If they were going to spent some time together, she would find out eventually.

Kaori shuddered at the thought.

But better animals than humans, after all.

Even if the idea of drinking blood was still terrible to her.

"Haven't you thought about trying human's blood?" she asked baldly.

She had to know.

Natsuno looked on her, turning from the road in front of them.

"I have." He answered, the honestly in his eyes clearly visible to Kaori. "But the human part in me is still alive and is keeping me away from doing something like that."

Kaori gulped, afraid of next answer.

"But what if it dies?" she asked, looking on him closely.

Natsuno turned his head to road, his feature hard.

"I'm not going to let this happen."

And Kaori believed him.

Maybe it was the determination in his voice or truth in his eyes.

But still, she knew that he would be able to do it.

And that she and her brother were safe with him.


	5. Chapter 5

**_A/N: So, so sorry for the break in uploading. I will try to get better in it. But can't promise anything, since the new semester started and the lovely teacher already loaded us with materials. They're monsters. _**

**_Also, thanks everyone who reviewed. It's really heart-warming, knowing what you think about "The Revenge"._**

**_I know that this chapter is no good. I will try to write the next one better._**

**_Enjoy. ^.^_**

* * *

_'You thought that you can run away from me?' the voice was cold, mocking. _

_Kaori shivered, hearing it. She tried to move, but she couldn't. Something was holding her down. _

_Red eyes were looking down on her with a flash of humor in them. But not only it. _

_Cruelty. _

_Hatred. _

_Superiority. _

_It was a look of the beast who knew, that it's pray was already at it's feet. _

_Vulnerable. _

_Lost. _

_And defeated. _

_'I will be with you forever. Torturing you. Hunting you. Making your life a living hell. And when I finally decide that it's enough, I will personally kill you. Painfully. And there will be no one to safe you.'_

_Kaori felt a fear creeping into her heart. _

_She couldn't do anything. Nothing to protect herself. Nothing to fight back. She was so useless… _

_A cold hand landed on her shoulder._

Kaori shot up in her seat, brown eyes wide and scared, almost as the eyes of the lost child.

Natsuno almost took a step back when she looked at him, but stopped himself. He only took his hand from her shoulder, where he had put it to wake her up.

"We are going to take a break here." He said, pointing with his head on the small inn, in front of which they were standing.

Akira was already out of the car, stretching his legs from a long ride. He looked around, taking in the surroundings.

"Where are we?" Kaori asked, rubbing her eyes.

She knew that she shouldn't doze off as she had done. After all, she still wasn't sure if Natsuno was who she thought he was. But she was so tired that she couldn't help herself. Before she knew, her eyelids closed and she was sleeping.

Some people said that a good sleep is the best remedy to everything.

Clearly not when you have a nightmare.

"Some small town, four hours from Tokyo." Natsuno answered. Really, he didn't remember what the place was called.

Not that it was important that much.

Kaori nodded her head, trying to take off her mind the red eyes se had just dreamt about. Really, Megumi was more often in her dream recently. It was frustrating.

And terrifying.

"Are you okay?" she heard a question and looked on Natsuno.

He actually looked quite concerned about her, at least his eyes were showing it. She really wanted to trust him.

"Just a bad dream. Nothing to worry about." She answered, smiling slightly.

It was her way to tell him that she was fine.

As fine as she could be after learning that some bloodthirsty monsters were again after her and her brother.

Natsuno wandered for a moment if he should press the subject. He was aware that she had a nightmare also on the night the met again. He also had his suspicion what it was about. Even if he wanted to ask few questions, he decided to wait for a better moment. Kaori didn't look very keen to talk about it, anyway.

"Come on. We have to book a room for today." He said, getting out of the car.

Kaori was quickly behind him.

"Today? We are not going to move further?" she asked.

She just wanted to be sure that it was safe.

"You two have to get a good rest and something to eat. Me too." He answered her truthfully.

It was the first time when Kaori noticed a wood next to the inn. It was probably pretty helpful for Natsuno to have it so close.

"Look, Nee-chan! There is a field close!"

Akira came running to her, his face almost reaped apart by big smile.

Kaori couldn't stop her own smile seeing it. Her brother hadn't changed much after the Sotoba accident, which was very reassuring for her.

Natsuno looked on the younger boy, thoughtful look on his face.

"Maybe we could go play there tomorrow." He said, earning surprised glance from Kaori and hopeful one from Akira.

"Rally? It would be awesome!" the boy shouted enthusiastically.

Of course, Natsuno knew that Akira loved playing soccer. He had seen him few times in action when he was in school. He could read from his face that it was one the things which made him really happy.

Natsuno felt a little guilty about destroying the siblings' peaceful life in their new apartment. But there was no other choice, he had to make sure that they were safe. And seeing the speed with which Shikis were taking their revenge, it wouldn't take long until both Kaori and Akira were attacked. And even if the girl was cautious, alone she wouldn't do anything.

Well, she had defeated her own father.

But it was one on one. If more came… she would be done for.

That's why he had came to her as soon as he could.

Natsuno looked on brother and sister talking to each other, both smiling, Akira broadly, Kaori slightly. He decided to do everything to make them feel at ease, even if they were on run. That's why he proposed to play with Akira.

And also, he himself like to play from time to time.

Yet, he had to find something to make Kaori more comfortable. She didn't trust him yet completely, so it wouldn't be simple. But seeing that they were going to spend some time together, he would think about something.

"Maybe we will move inside?" he interrupted them, looking around.

Well, since he became a monster, he was very cautious.

Maybe it was in his nature.

He opened the door, letting both siblings to go first.

He wandered for a moment if Kaori would be angry when she found out that they were going to stay in one room. But he couldn't let his eyes from neither her or her brother.

-S h i k i-

_'Bath is the best thing in the world.'_ Kaori decided, closing her eyes and relaxing in the tub full of hot water.

After much convincing from Akira, Natsuno agreed to go on the field with him. Even if it was getting dark.

And after much more convincing from Kaori, he agreed to let her stay in the hotel. She knew that he was very hesitant to do it.

But thanks to that, she was able to take long bath without anyone interrupting her.

She was just slowly drifting to sleep, when she heard some noises from their room. She opened her eyes, slightly alarmed.

She started to listen.

Someone was definitely inside. Walking quietly around the room.

She quickly reached for the bathrobe. There was a moment of panic when she discovered that her stick was in her bag, which she left in her room.

_'Calm down. It's probably Akira or Yuuki-kun, maybe they forgot something. Or get tired of playing.' _She said to herself.

But her hopes where quickly destroyed, when the doors were ripped open.

Kaori grabbed her bathrobe closer to herself.

A girl she didn't recognize stood there. She wasn't much older than herself. She had brown hair.

And red eyes.

All too familiar red eyes.

Kaori felt her voice dying in her throat.

She wanted to scream.

She wanted to fight.

But the only thought in her head was for Yuuki-san to come and help her.


	6. Chapter 6

Kaori didn't know what to do.

Her mind went blank; all she was able to do was watch the girl, who was standing at the door of bathroom with a vicious smile on her lips, her red eyes gleaming dangerously.

Why had she left her stick in the bag? She always took it everywhere!

She was getting careless.

"It was pretty hard to catch you, Kaori-chan~" the unknown vampire said, her voice mocking. "We were getting impatient."

Kaori knew who 'we' meant. It looked like Yuuki-kun was right, they were after her and her brother.

"H-how did you get in?" she was able to mutter, although it took a lot of effort.

She had always wondered what she could do when they come for her and Akira. She always thought that she would be strong and determined, that she would do everything to protect her and her little brother.

But now, she was completely useless and vulnerable, completely at the mercy of the vampire.

"Oh, it was pretty simple to _convince _the owner of this inn to invite me inside." the girl answered, her tongue running over her lips.

Kaori had a pretty good idea what she had done to the man.

"But enough with this pleasant small talk." the girl said, moving one step inside the bathroom.

Kaori took a step back, while the girl took another in.

It continued until Kaori's back hit the wall. She had no place left to run. Her way to the door was blocked by the vampire.

She knew that it was her end. There was no one to protect her.

She only hoped that Yuuki-kun would protect Akira with all his might. And somewhere inside her mind she knew that he would.

This thought was a small comfort for her.

She screamed when cold hands suddenly pushed her shoulders against the wall and red eyes accompanied by that terrible smile were hovering just in front of her face.

When did she get so close to her?

She had no idea. She had to have been lost in her own world for a moment.

"Itadakimasu~" she heard the whisper in her ear and closed her eyes.

Awaiting teeth to sunk into her skin.

Awaiting the pain.

And the numbness.

=S H I K I=

Natsuno had to admit that Akira was very good, even better than he thought. After all, he was able to put the ball in the goal few times already.

When the ball passed Natsuno's head again, he stopped suddenly.

A cold shiver ran down his neck.

Something was amiss.

"Akira, we have to go." he said suddenly, picking up the ball.

"But why?" the younger boy whined, wanting to play more. He knew that there wouldn't be many chances to do it in the near future.

"Just trust me, we have to go back." Natsuno answered.

He didn't want to scare the boy until he was sure that his worries were correct.

=S H I K I=

Kaori held her breath, waiting.

But the pain never came.

Instead, the cold hands were suddenly ripped from her shoulders and she was free to sink down onto the floor.

She opened her eyes, curious about what was going on.

Relief washed over her when her eyes met the back of a familiar figure who was standing protectively in front of her, looking at the vampire who had been thrown into the opposite wall.

"Yuuki-kun..." she whispered quietly, clutching her robe even closer to herself.

"Are you all right?" he asked, turning his head slightly to her, but his eyes didn't leave the vampire.

"Yes." she answered shortly, knowing that it was enough for him.

She fought with the tears which had started to pool in her eyes.

Natsuno nodded and in a moment, he had the vampire pinned to the wall, in a similar way as to how Kaori had been just a moment ago.

There was fear visible in the red eyes.

"I hope that the rest of your flock will take it as a warning." he whispered to the vampire, quietly, so Kaori wasn't able to hear him. "I'm not going to let you hurt her or her brother."

The vampire girl looked at him from the corner of her eyes.

"Why is she so important to you that you decided to leave your safe place?" she asked, really curious.

"That's for me to know." he answered, before putting the stick in her chest.

The vampire let out a terrible scream before falling silent. When Natsuno let her go, she fell to the ground, unmoving and dead.

Kaori covered her ears the moment the scream started. It was terrible and inhuman.

And it reminded her too much about the things which happened in Sotoba.

And she had tried so hard to forget them.

Natsuno knelt in front of her, watching her carefully.

He knew he had screwed up. He was supposed to protect her and on the first day she was almost killed.

Hearing footsteps behind him he turned around quickly, looking at Akira, whose eyes were traveling from the dead vampire on the floor to his sister, who was still sitting on the floor.

"Akira." Natsuno said, wanting to get the boy's mind from the scene. When his eyes concentrated on him, he continued. "Get you sister some clothes and pack for us. We are moving."

The boy only nodded, and moved from the bathroom to the room.

Natsuno looked back at Kaori. She looked up at him and smiled a little, though it was shaken and forced.

"I'm fine, really. She didn't do anything to me." she said, her voiced slightly choked.

She kicked herself mentally. Why couldn't she be stronger?

"You are not fine." she looked slightly surprised at Natsuno's firm and yet soft voice. "You were holding everything inside for too long, Kaori. I'm sure that what has just happened shocked you a lot. Stop hiding it. I know how you feel." he stopped for a moment and looked her straight in the eyes. "You can let it all go now. You don't need to be strong. I promise that I won't leave you alone from now on. I'll protect you and Akira."

Kaori looked at him for a moment.

There had been too many changes. There was too much going on.

Could she trust him? Could she afford to put her life in his hands?

He had just protected her from being turned into a monster, from being killed.

She wanted to trust him. In his eyes there was nothing but sincerity and honesty.

So she decided that it was worth a shot. She would try to trust him.

That's why she rested her head on his shoulder and cried in his arms.

* * *

_edited: Dark Akuma Hunter_


End file.
